School Zone Santa .Com

Last year Mr Peter Olsen installed his own flashing lights at schools in the Lurgano / Peakhurst.


A set of "Olsen" flashing lights, notice the car's brake lights.

The RTA promptly torn them down.

Peter put them back up with media present.

The RTA took them down again.

Alan Jones got involved,he could see the common sense in Peter's lights, invited the Roads minister Mr Roozendaal on his show, and guess what ... four schools in the Lurgano /Peakhurst area have Peter's home made flashing lights reliably reminding drivers that it's school zone time every morning and afternoon on gazetted school days.

Then because there was an election looming, promises were made that there was to be a roll out of flashing lights at schools.

At the "reported" cost of $7.2 million 100 schools got flashing lights, that work most of the time (see the "About faulty flashing lights"category.)

So that's 100 out of 4000 schools, what about the rest?

Yes I do know about the deal that is soon to be announced, after the RTA was finally persuaded that free flashing lights could be a good thing.

On the 16/1/07 I asked on my page "where's the common sense" why was an expensive flashing light unit installed behind the bend and not on the sign on the centre median where it could be seen from way back up the road.

This one (there were others) was at Taren point,
Peter Olsen took someone (from the minister's office I believe) and showed this and other inappropriate placing of flashing lights.

This is how it was, see the sign on the left? Look closely, by the pine tree. Cars have to see it at 70

and how it is now

Why didn't they do that in the first place?

There was another one at Kogarah hidden by landscaping bushes but instead of using the sensible centre median, they took a chainsaw to the greenery.
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In December 2005 I put on a Santa Clause suit and reminded drivers that they had to keep to 40 kmh for the safety of the children at Kogarah.

I stood there all Febuary 2006, morning and afternoon school zone time slowing down hundreds of drivers.

Why did I put myself and family through this?

The reason is explained in the "About school zone santa" category.

And now we have this crap at Beverly Hills.

A gentleman from the law firm handling the class action against the RTA about this school zone camera, rang and told me it was now way over 1000 drivers, and that's only the ones that have contacted his office.

JUST IMAGINE THE NUMBER OF DRIVER THAT WILL BE CAUGHT WHEN THEY TAKE AWAY THE LARGE TRAILER MOUNTED WARNING SIGNS

Now I don't myself always agree with "technical" reasons to get off fines, but if there were no signs where there should have been. Then who's fault is it?

There needs to be more 60 signs (because it's 70 both sides of the Beverly Hill shops) and a large set of Flashing lights at Edgbaston steet, I don't think the RTA and ultimatly, Mr Roozendaal would have this problem.

One phone call to the RTA from the minister would get a flashing light at Edgbaston st.
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A $750,000 plan to wheel clamp cars was announced recently.

I wrote about this very idea in Dec 2005, see the "P-Plate driver category" and spoke to the then stay safe commitee chairman MP Paul Gibson on 2/2/06 about this, as a way to teach P- plate drivers responsibility.

As Ray Hadley would say it's not rocket science

The RTA have a new way to deal with P plate drivers, that is to take away their licence, no 2nd chance.

You have to give them a chance

Take away their licence first go, they will be cranky.

How many p plate drivers will be disqualified between now and the next election.

Which Government brought in school zones?

Which Government brought in these draconic new P Plate laws?

Very courageous.

Cranky drivers make cranky voters.

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School zone santa might seem like a silly name for a web site, but to dress up as santa and wave a sign in traffic stands out,( especially in September.)

Ask any driver who drives through Kogarah regularly during school zone time, if they remember a bloke in a santa suit waving a school zone sign a couple of years ago.

But they won't know my name, it was never on the site or in the media until this year but they'd remember the goose in the santa suit.

If I get out the Santa suit dust off the sign, ring a few media outlets, stand next to the Edgbaston st turnoff school zone sign,(pictured) would I be noticed?

Doing that might be classed as dangerous, and I might be arrested, now that WOULD make the news.

But to arrest someone who is trying to slow all the speeding drivers "for the children" not good form.

Media always likes the unusual.

Maybe a Santette in a more revealing suit waving a sign would be even more photogenic for the media.

If over 1000 drivers have been speeding through this school zone recently, it seems the RTA needs School zone santa's help to make the the zone safe for the children.